The invention relates generally to technology for sensing and recording finger motion, fingerprints and, more particularly to systems, devices and methods for finger motion tracking both alone, and in combination with fingerprint image processing and navigation operations.
Partial fingerprint scanners are becoming popular for a wide variety of security applications. In contrast to “all at once” fingerprint scanners, which capture an image of an entire fingerprint at the same time, partial fingerprint sensing devices use a sensing area that is smaller than the fingerprint area to be imaged. By imaging only a portion of a fingerprint at any given time, the size and cost of a partial fingerprint sensor can be made considerably smaller and cheaper than that of a full fingerprint sensor. However to capture a full fingerprint image, the user must move his finger and “swipe” it across the sensing zone of the partial finger print sensor.
Various types of partial fingerprint readers exist. Some work by optical means, some by pressure sensor means, and others by capacitance sensing means or radiofrequency sensing means.
For example, one common configuration used for a fingerprint sensor is a one or two dimensional array of CCD (charge coupled devices) or C-MOS circuit sensor elements (pixels). These components are embedded in a sensing surface to form a matrix of pressure sensing elements that generate signals in response to pressure applied to the surface by a finger. These signals are read by a processor and used to reconstruct the fingerprint of a user and to verify identification.
Other devices include one or two dimensional arrays of optical sensors that read light reflected off of a person's finger and onto an array of optical detectors. The reflected light is converted to a signal that defines the fingerprint of the finger analyzed and is used to reconstruct the fingerprint and to verify identification.
Many types of partial fingerprint scanners are comprised of linear (1 dimensional) arrays of sensing elements (pixels). These one dimensional sensors create a two dimensional image of a fingerprint through the relative motion of the finger pad relative to the sensor array.
One class of partial fingerprint sensors that are particularly useful for small device applications are deep finger penetrating radio frequency (RF) based sensors. These are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,099,496; 7,146,024; and patent application publications US 2005-0244038 A1; US 2005-0244039 A1; US 2006-0083411 A1; US 2007-0031011 A1, and the contents of these patents and patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. These types of sensors are commercially produced by Validity Sensors, Inc, San Jose Calif. This class of sensor mounts the sensing elements (usually arranged in a one dimensional array) on a thin, flexible, and environmentally robust support, and the IC used to drive the sensor in a protected location some distance away from the sensing zone. Such sensors are particularly advantageous in applications where small sensor size and sensor robustness are critical.
The Validity fingerprint sensors measure the intensity of electric fields conducted by finger ridges and valleys, such as deep finger penetrating radio frequency (RF) based sensing technology, and use this information to sense and create the fingerprint image. These devices create sensing elements by creating a linear array composed of many miniature excitation electrodes, spaced at a high density, such as a density of approximately 500 electrodes per inch. The tips of these electrodes are separated from a single sensing electrode by a small sensor gap. The electrodes are electrically excited in a progressive scan pattern and the ridges and valleys of a finger pad alter the electrical properties (usually the capacitive properties) of the excitation electrode-sensing electrode interaction, and this in turn creates a detectable electrical signal. The electrodes and sensors are mounted on thin flexible printed circuit support, and these electrodes and sensors are usually excited and the sensor read by an integrated circuit chip (scanner chip, driver chip, scan IC) designed for this purpose. The end result is to create a one dimensional “image” of the portion of the finger pad immediately over the electrode array and sensor junction.
As the finger surface is moved across the sensor, portions of the fingerprint are sensed and captured by the device's one dimensional scanner, creating an array of one dimensional images indexed by order of data acquisition, and/or alternatively annotated with additional time and/or finger pad location information. Circuitry, such as a computer processor or microprocessor, then creates a full two-dimensional fingerprint image by creating a mosaic of these one dimensional partial fingerprint images.
Often the processor will then compare this recreated two dimensional full fingerprint, usually stored in working memory, with an authorized fingerprint stored in a fingerprint recognition memory, and determine if there is a match or not. Software to fingerprint matching is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,020,591 and 7,194,392 by Wei et. al., and is commercially available from sources such as Cogent systems, Inc., South Pasadena, Calif.
If the scanned fingerprint matches the record of an authorized user, the processor then usually unlocks a secure area or computer system and allows the user access. This enables various types of sensitive areas and information (financial data, security codes, etc.), to be protected from unauthorized users, yet still be easily accessible to authorized users.
The main drawback of partial fingerprint sensors is that in order to obtain a valid fingerprint scan, the user must swipe his or her finger across the sensor surface in a relatively uniform manner. Unfortunately, due to various human factors issues, this usually isn't possible. In the real world, users will not swipe their fingers with a constant speed. Some will swipe more quickly than others, some may swipe at non-uniform speeds, and some may stop partially through a scan, and then resume. In order to account for this type of variation, modern partial fingerprint sensors often incorporate finger position sensors to determine, relative to the fingerprint sensor, how the overall finger position and speed varies during a finger swipe.
One type of finger position indicator, represented by U.S. Pat. No. 7,146,024, and application publications US 2005-0244039A1 and US 2005-0235470A1 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) detects relative finger position using a long array of electrical drive plate sensors. These plates sense the bulk of a finger (rather than the fine details of the fingerprint ridges), and thus sense the relative position of the finger relative to the linear array used for fingerprint sensing. A second type of fingerprint position indicator, represented by US patent application publication US 2007-0031011 A1 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference), uses two linear partial fingerprint sensors, located about 400 microns apart.
Another device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,815 of Immega, et al. The technique used by the Immega device is based on the amount of time required for the finger to travel a fixed distance between two parallel image lines that are oriented perpendicular to the axis of motion.
Still another technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,114 of Mainguet. A device utilizing this method reconstructs fingerprints based on sensing and recording images taken of rectangular slices of the fingerprint and piecing them together using an overlapping mosaic algorithm.
In general, both users and manufacturers of electronic devices find it desirable to incorporate as much functionality as possible into as limited a space as possible, and produce high functionality devices as cheaply as possible. Thus devices that perform multiple functions with minimal amounts of device “real estate”, power, and manufacturing costs are generally preferred.
Although some prior art devices have addressed issues of user fingerprint identification, and other prior art devices have addressed issues of how to efficiently control and navigate through electronic devices using hand and finger motion for such control purposes, no completely satisfactory devices that allow for both user identification and precise user control of an electronic device have yet been marketed. Prior art devices that attempt to unify such user identification and device control functions primarily consist of relatively large mouse devices or mouse pads with a fingerprint sensor added somewhere on the device. Such devices are represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,337,919; 6,400,836; and 5,838,306. Unfortunately, these prior art devices have tended to be both large and expensive, and thus have achieved only limited use as premium optional extras in business desktop and laptop computers.
If this type of fingerprint recognition and easy user navigational control could be produced in an extremely small, low cost, and low power device, this type of device could be used in a much broader variety of applications, and would likely be well received by both manufacturers and users.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art to more accurately sense finger swiping motion across a fingerprint sensor and to accurately calculate the speed and location of the finger that is in motion across the sensor. There also exists a great need in the art for a more efficient means to accurately sense and capture fingerprints on portable microprocessor controlled devices (e.g. cell phones, smart cards, PDA's, laptop computers, MP3 players, and the like). There is also a need for more convenient and efficient ways to provide navigation and control operations on such portable devices. As will be seen, the invention provides for these multiple needs in an elegant manner.